May We Be Forgiven by A. M. Homes

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A. M. Homes is a master of satire and ambiguityMathieu Bourgois/Writer Pictures

Sarah Vine

Published at 12:02AM, November 3 2012

The hallmark of great art, whether it be visual, literary, musical, physical
or otherwise, is its ability to be both sublime yet disturbing, beautiful
yet tainted. Without her air of ambiguity and her hesitant smile, for
example, the Mona Lisa would be just another mediaeval noblewoman; without
her destructive, headstrong impulsiveness Emma Woodhouse would be just
another Regency Sloane.

Human beings are all about the corruption of perfection, the squandering of
our physical and mental gifts, our seemingly insatiable appetite for
self-ruination. It’s at the heart of so much of our everyday behaviour, in
the multifarious ways so many of